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Impaling demon tentacles helped earn ‘Devil May Cry 5’ a ‘Mature’ rating

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Devil May Cry 5 has officially been given a Mature rating by the ESRB. That’s not surprising if you’ve followed the demon-centric action series since its debut in 2001 on PS2. All Devil May Cry games have received the M rating, which means that you must be at least 17 to purchase it in stores. However, the rating summary offered by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) includes some fairly comical lines describing the basis for the determination (thanks, Destructoid).

“One cutscene depicts civilians screaming in pain while being impaled by demon tentacles,” the description reads. While being impaled by demon tentacles is certainly cause for distress among the victims in Devil May Cry 5, seeing it written so matter-of-factly in the ratings summary adds a level of fun.

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To add to that, the ESRB described the action as “highlighted by gunfire, screams of pain, and slow-motion finishing moves/highlights.” The ESRB obviously has to take its job rating games seriously, but after a close read of Devil May Cry 5‘s rating, we decided to go back and check out the ESRB ratings summary for God of War, figuring that it would include some gems as well. It does not disappoint, but if you haven’t played the excellent 2018 action game, you may not want to read on.

Devil May Cry 5 - TGS 2018 Trailer

“During one sequence, players decapitate (off-screen) an imprisoned character and carry the severed head around; headless corpses also appear in other scenes,” reads a closing line of the God of War ratings summary. That may sound pretty gruesome, but the severed head in God of War turns out to be a great companion who converses with Kratos and Atreus. The ESRB’s description is much more grim. So perhaps the humans impaled by demon tentacles in Devil May Cry 5 will be fine after all. Probably not, but you never know.

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Devil May Cry 5 arrives March 8 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s the first mainline entry in the series since 2008’s Devil May Cry 4. The game will include three playable characters: Dante, Nero, and a brand-new hero named V. You can download a free demo on Xbox One right now. In a move that is likely to bother some players, microtransactions will let you buy Red Orbs to acquire skills.

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Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
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